Public Transport
06/03/2013
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (17:11): Once again, I will not speak for very long, but I want to place on the record my support for this motion. Unfortunately, the closure of the Belair line for eight months is one of a multitude of problems that beset public transport in Adelaide currently. Perhaps it is not surprising, since the government chooses not to have any sort of integrated transport plan.
My office has received a number of calls in recent days about the problems with our public transport, especially in relation to trying to exit the city on Friday and Saturday after Clipsal, Fringe and Festival events. We really need to do better. Frankly, it is an embarrassment, having interstate and international visitors—and, I would argue also, locals—unable to get anywhere when there are no buses, no trams, no taxis, and half the train lines are closed. However, perhaps I digress a little.
The substitute buses on the Belair line continue to cause headaches, to say the least, for many Adelaide Hills commuters, including those with extra access requirements. Traffic congestion is now a daily problem on the routes from the city into town, and I have been contacted by a commuter whose former 30-minute train ride has been turned into a one to two-hour daily bus ride, depending on traffic congestion and whether or not the bus breaks down. Surely, this is an embarrassment. So, I support this motion and commend it to the chamber.
